YABOHP: Yet Another Batch of Hadith Problems
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Precursor From Quran we see that Islam is COMPLETE. Meaning, all statements in Islam are TRUE.
1-Assume ALL Hadiths are part of Islam.
2-Some Hadiths are a clear contradiction with Quran. Even the strongest proponents of hadiths classify hadiths as 'weak' or 'strong'. Meaning, some statements in hadiths are untrue.
3-Hadith is a subset of Islam, hence some statements in Islam are untrue.
4-But that contradicts with the precursor. Therefore, item 1 (our assumption) is false.
Q & A
Q)But we can cherry-pick (using our brain), the true hadiths and isolate false hadiths or weak hadiths.
A)What gives you the authority to determine whether some part of Islam is true or false? Allah has already given us all the true statements embodied in the Quran.
Q)But some issues in Quran are not clearly laid out. Where else do we find out how to perform those things, like zakaat?
A)It is Allah's mercy on us that Islam is so simple. It is our discretion to decide HOW to implement the Quranic injunctions. How do we decide that? By virtue of Salaat. Indeed, Islam is an embodiment of democracy. The world is constantly changing. The basic Quranic injunctions will remain the same, but our means of implementation may change over time. E.g, we don't necessarily have to worry about injunctions related to slavery. The anecdote of bani-israel and the calf is given to us with a purpose.
Q)But aren't you cherry-picking the Islamic statements yourself by doing that?
A)By deciding how to implement an injunction, we are not determining the truth-value of Islam. By deciding among ourselves, the percentage for say, sudqaat, we are starting by the truth-assumption, and then deriving the best way to implement the injunction. On the otherhand, you are determining the true statements in ISlam, and isolating the false statements that you see unfit.
Q)But Quran asks us to follow the prophet?
A)And it also gives ample anecdotes of the prophet within itself. We can follow up the prophet by reading the verses in the Quran that address to the prophet. If you read those verses carefully, you will notice that their message can exist even today. E.g The wandering tribes.
Q)You are degrading the prophet and the Quran by isolating hadiths from islam.
A)Let us see, Hadiths show that the prophet was a pedophile, that islam is a violent religion, that islam is a religion, that islam has no room for thought, that women have no rights except to be tied in their homes, that men 'own' women, that adulteres ought to be stoned to death, that Quran is incomplete (the anecdote of a goat eating some ayats written on a leaf), that Quran is not in its true form (Quran not being written at the prophets time), that the prophet was a violent man, that homosexuality is allowed and some even go to the extent of describing God's Noor!
In hebrew, Salawaat means to pray. In today's Islam, Salaat is frequently taken as a prayer. Does this sound fishy?
Modern day evangilists refer to all of the above statements to show that Islam is bogus. They also refer to the Prophet as a pedophile.
So tell me, who is degrading the prophet?
Q)Now a question to you dear brother. Tell me, if Hadiths are a part of Islam, how come neither the prophet nor anyone of his four caliphs made any effort to write down and document such a critical aspect of Islam (hadiths)? We all agree that they were great men. Then why didn't they make an effort that all muslims at that time remember hadiths by heart, just like the Quran?
A)Because it was not necessary. Because they were in close proximity of the prophet.
Q)Upto 200 years? Thats almost four generations wide! At one point we see rigorous approach towards remembering and preserving one part of Islam (the Quran), yet on the otherhand we see no effort whatsoever to preserve the other part (hadiths). So were those people out of their minds or was there something else?
A)I don't know. I'll have to ask my religious priest.
Q) Ok, I have to ask more questions. So do you have no place for the prophet? I mean, do you respect him and all?
A)Absolutely! He HAS to be the greatest man because he was given this HUGE responsibility. But I do not believe that hadith should be part of Islam.
Q)So, like can you read hadiths anyway or do you think they should not be read?
A) Hadith is also some historical perspective. Not all of the prophet's act are misquoted. We can look into his actions and see what he did at his time. But we cannot use hadith as an integral part of Islam.
Q)How can 1.2 billion muslims be wrong?
A)Why does a number bother you. According to you, millions of shais, millions of hindus and millions of christian are wrong anyway. What is wrong is wrong regardless of how many people believe in it.
Q)This is blasphemy! You will burn in hell!
A)Peace to you brother. As the Quran puts it, time will tell who is right and who is wrong.